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Re: Verb agreement

"Abby, if Edgar dropped dead tomorrow, Sherene would be recognized as his wife - not I. She will be able to draw his Social Security and take anything and everything - our car, house, etc."

Question: (Should this be singular or plural?)

1. "Not I" instead of "not me," is it because it is "not I who would be recognized as his wife?"

Yes. :)

Originally Posted by bmo

2. She will be able to draw... Should it be "She would be able" to match "She would be recognized?"

Yes, it would be good to do it that way. However, the way it is written is not incorrect. The second one is a sort of elliptical sentence. (It could be seen that way, anyhow.) The "entire" sentence could be written: "If Edgar drops dead tomorrow, she will be able to draw his Social Security and take anything and everything - our car, house, etc."

Re: Verb agreement

Originally Posted by RonBee

Yes, it would be good to do it that way. However, the way it is written is not incorrect. The second one is a sort of elliptical sentence. (It could be seen that way, anyhow.) The "entire" sentence could be written: "If Edgar drops dead tomorrow, she will be able to draw his Social Security and take anything and everything - our car, house, etc."

What do you think?

:)

But I thought it was supposed to be a subjunctive mood, how come you write in present tense?

Re: Verb agreement

Originally Posted by bmo

Originally Posted by RonBee

Yes, it would be good to do it that way. However, the way it is written is not incorrect. The second one is a sort of elliptical sentence. (It could be seen that way, anyhow.) The "entire" sentence could be written: "If Edgar drops dead tomorrow, she will be able to draw his Social Security and take anything and everything - our car, house, etc."

What do you think?

:)

But I thought it was supposed to be a subjunctive mood, how come you write in present tense?

BMO

It should be subjunctive and "would" be a better choice. The writer switched moods in the second sentence. This makes that sentence more real, but it is not completely correct.

Native speakers will occasionally change "mood" from one sentence to the next. (Perhaps in line with the thinking process.) This can, I suppose, make things difficult for ESL learners, but if you focus on the intended meaning perhaps it will not "throw" you.

Native speakers will occasionally change "mood" from one sentence to the next. (Perhaps in line with the thinking process.) This can, I suppose, make things difficult for ESL learners, but if you focus on the intended meaning perhaps it will not "throw" you.